Finally Falling
by unicornthief
Summary: "What do you know about love?", "It's like standing in the sun. You know when you're in it... and when you're not." And it was with those words that Erza finally understood what she was truly fighting for. Titania had fallen, and it was all because of him.
1. Free!

**A/N: Hey guys, so this started off as a one shot but I got carried away and ended up writing three chapters so far. Here's the first one, give it a read and let me know what you think and if I should upload the rest.**

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><p>The sun had already set, bringing a dark shroud along with it, signalling the end of the day as the dimly lit street lights turned on, illuminating the now desolate streets of Magnolia. Everyone had long gone to sleep and it was eerily quiet, that was, until two Fairy Tail wizards wondered across the cobblestone path reaching a grassy hill, on top of which was Fairy Hills, a dormitory for the female wizards at the Fairy Tail guild. The two wizards laughed and told stories as a cool breeze filled the air, the stars shone brightly atop a blank dark canvas, and although it had just begun, it truly was a beautiful night.<p>

"Thank you for today Gray, I really had fun" the scarlet haired mage spoke, coming to a stop just outside the double doors belonging to the large building composed of bricks. The raven haired boy blushed slightly as she smiled at him sweetly and he swore his heart skipped a beat. "It's cool, maybe we can you know… do it again sometime" he couldn't quite meet her eyes when he said that last part and he knew he shouldn't have when he didn't hear a response. His cheeks were beginning to warm, luckily it was still rather dim outside so Erza couldn't see him well. The light from a nearby window hit her face perfectly, showing off all her features and her warm brown eyes that Gray could just stare into forever.

"Ah, that would be nice" Erza finally replied with a smile, slightly amused by Grays reaction. He stared at her, eyes wide and nervously touched the back of his head like he always did when he was nervous though he didn't notice. Not knowing what to say and definitely not wanting to spoil the moment by saying something stupid, he just smiled. And what a wonderful smile he had, Erza couldn't help but admire it.

"Erza you're back!" A petite blue haired girl shouted happily from her window which happened to be where the light was coming from. "Oh Gray you're here to, it's getting late, better get to bed" She told them in her usual upbeat tone.

"Yes, it is quite late, you should get going Gray, I'll see you tomorrow" Erza told him whilst opening the door to enter the dormitory.

"Right, see you tomorrow" He replied "Night Levy" he nodded at the bluenette who was still leaning outside her window and with his hands in his pockets he slowly made his way back from the direction they had just come from. The doors closed shut as Erza stepped inside.

Erza stood there for a minute leaning her back against the door, smiling to herself as she reminisced about her evening with Gray. She had been pretty much by herself for the last few days, not wanting to talk to anyone and often contemplated on going on an S class mission. Natsu and Lucy would frequently ask her to join them on their missions but she always declined and they eventually stopped asking. She would come to the guild hall in the morning, wonder the streets during the day and then stay in her dorm room from 8pm till the following morning came and repeated the same process… until today.

As she was just about to leave the guild for her long aimless walk around Magnolia earlier that morning, a petite, blue-haired, sky dragon slayer ran over to her, out of breath, hands on her knees trying to regulate her breathing so she could form actual words instead of deep breathing sounds. Erza began to get worried seeing her like this and where were Carla and Gray? The three of them left together the night before to go on a mission so why was Wendy here on her own?

"Wendy, what's wrong? Where are Gray and Carla?" She asked her, urging her for an answer but not wanting to come on too strong, dropping down to her level, she gently placed her hands on her small shoulders, telling her to calm herself.

"G-Gray needs help…. he's… badly wounded and… I can't heal him!" She told her in between breaths, avoiding her gaze. She noticed Erza's body tense up, her grip slightly tighter than it was before.

"Wendy, where is he?" She asked her, this time she spoke louder, demanding an answer. Wendy took off out of the guild and ran, urging Erza to follow her, which she did. Worry and regret ran through her head, she was also asked by the trio to accompany them on their mission but she rejected their offer opting to stay at the guild instead.

_If only I went with them, Gray would be fine and this wouldn't have happened. Whilst I was feeling sorry for myself, one of my friends got hurt and I couldn't save them. _Erza scolded herself again and again running as fast as her body would allow her to. After a few minutes they reached a familiar part of town. The trees were aligned on top of a grassy hill and just below, a riverbank came into view.

"Wait he's here?" Erza asked Wendy who was now running down the hill at top speed unable to slow herself down. Erza grabbed hold of her before she toppled forward into the river and found Gray laying on the ground with Carla sat beside him. The small white exceed didn't seem to be very happy or trying to comfort the injured ice mage at all, instead, she just sat there with her arms crossed waiting for Erza and Wendy to arrive.

"Gray! Are you alright?" Erza ran over to where the young wizard was laying down and knelt down beside him. He seemed unresponsive so she checked him all over for any wounds or physical damage but surprisingly there was none. She put her ear against his chest, searching for a heartbeat.

_That's strange, his heart beat's faster than usual. _

Now on her hands and knees she leant in closer to Gray, their noses just barely touching. She narrowed her eyes, concentrating really hard, trying to determine what could have happened to him. His skin tone was normal, though she now noticed a tinge of pink on his cheeks, his body was surprisingly heating up the closer she got and not to mention the alarming heart rate.

"Gray" She called, watching for any sign of response from him but still, nothing.

"Wendy, what exactly happened to him?" She asked the dragon slayer who was looking rather nervous, twiddling her thumbs.

"W-well… actually" She began to speak, not sure what to tell the scarlet haired wizard about her friend.

"E-Erza" Gray finally spoke, his voice was rough and barely audible but she could hear him. Erza immediately turned her attention towards the injured mage, forgetting she even asked Wendy a question just a few seconds ago.

"Erza is that you?" Erza looked at her friend and felt so upset. She wasn't able to be there for him when he needed it and now that she was here with him, she still wasn't able to help. She felt so angry and disappointed with herself, feeling her eyes brim with tears, willing them not to fall.

"Gray… yes, it's me" She spoke gently, hoping her voice wasn't too harsh on his ears. He looked so fragile.

"Come… closer" He beckoned her with a slight motion of his fingers and she leant in closer to him, her long scarlet hair fell, covering her face and just grazing Grays. She waited for him to speak, for him to tell her that he was going to be okay.

"I… I…" He started to speak and every time he started his sentence she leaned in closer to make sure she could hear him.

"Tell me Gray, what is it?"

"I… GOTCHA!" He shouted, laughing like a maniac and rolling around on the floor as though he had just heard the world's greatest joke. His laughter echoed through the quiet town, for it was still early in the morning. He held onto his stomach feeling the pain from too much laughter.

"HAHAHAHA Y-YOUR FACE!" He cried "You actually thought I was hurt! Man I should get an award for my performance, I got you good!" He continued to laugh boisterously, oblivious to everything else. Wendy and Carla began to slowly back away noticing Erza had not yet moved, her hair covering her face and this bright, warm summer's morning suddenly began to get very dark and chilling.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Carla scolded Wendy who was looking rather frightened.

"W-what do you think she's gonna do to him? Should we call for help?" Wendy asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I'd be more worried about what she's going to do to you, so let's leave whilst we still have the chance." Carla ordered. She grabbed her hand which was covered in sweat and dragged her away without a fuss. The last thing Wendy saw was Gray soaring through the sky and crash landing into a tree, wincing when she saw him falling out and landing face first onto the ground which was then met by Erza's boot.

"Poor Gray" She said to herself but thankful that Carla was here to take her away.

"YOU DARE MAKE A MOCKERY OUT OF ME!" Erza bellowed, raising her fist once more, aiming for Grays face.

"ERZA! Wait!" Gray screamed, covering his face and bracing for impact, but it never came. He slowly peeked through his fingers to see what she was planning next but relaxed once he saw that she was just standing there. He sighed and leant his back against the tree that had a Gray-shaped dent in it.

"Why?" She simply asked, anger still evident in her voice. Gray couldn't look into her eyes anymore and looked down at his feet. He thought about what to say next not wanting to make her more irate or upset. All he wanted was to have her back to her normal self, not locked away in her room by herself or sat alone, avoiding her friends gazes and impending questions and requests to spend some time with them. After a long few seconds he looked back up, staring into her brown eyes, anger and hurt hidden somewhere inside them.

"I- I never wanted to make you angry Erza, I just wanted to spend some time with you and I knew you would never agree to come if I just asked you to so I-"  
>"So you pretended to be hurt and dragged Wendy into this" Erza finished his sentence for him, folding her arms across her chest.<p>

"Yeah… But please don't shout at Wendy, it was my idea, I just convinced her to go along with it" He quickly explained to her, not wanting to see Wendy upset over some stupid prank he dragged her into, unwillingly.

Erza raised her eyebrows, surprised at what he had just said. As if she could ever hurt Wendy, what did he think she was, some kind of monster?

"Next time don't be so stupid and leave others out of it" She told him curtly and turned to walk back toward the guild.

"H-Hey Erza wait!" Gray called after her, jumping up on his feet, ready to chase after her if he has to. Erza stopped but didn't turn to face him, "What now?" She asked him coldly.

"I thought we could hang out" He wasn't sure if he should walk up to her or not in case she sent him flying again and he loses his ability to walk.

"Well you thought wrong, I'm heading back to Fairy Hills, do what you want" She snapped at him, turning her face to the side, she could see him from the corner of her eye, slowly walking up to her.

"Ah come on Erza, quit feeling sorry for yourself. I've already got the whole day planned, so stop thinking about Jellal and-"

"What did you just say?" This time she turned to face him, her fists clenched. _How dare he say his name, what does he know about him, about us? If he thinks I can just get over something like this with some stupid walk in the park then he's got another thing coming! _She fumed to herself, stomping her way over to the now stunned Gray.

_What did I say?_ He thought to himself, he was completely baffled. All he wanted was to make her feel better and take her mind off of things but he never expected her to act like this.

"What gives you the right" She stabbed at his chest with her finger and each time she pushed it harder, "To try and dictate what and how I should be feeling and thinking? Stop thinking about Jellal you say? You don't know a damn thing about me Gray and I certainly don't need you feeling sorry for me. So just stop bothering me and leave me alone!" She yelled and with that last word she pushed him away. Gray didn't say anything, or walk away and leave her alone like she said. Because despite what she just said, he did know her. He knew that Erza did hurt sometimes, and why she was always on her own at first, always covered in armour and he still, to this day, remembers that time when he found her crying at this very same spot. In the Tower of Heaven he desperately fought Fukuro even willing to give up his life just so she could be safe. During their fight with Oracion Sies he stopped Lyon from cutting off her arm and battled Racer with all his power so Wendy could get to Erza and save her. It was clear to him that he would do anything for her, so when she said all these things to him, it hurt. It hurt a lot, and Erza could see it in his eyes.

He lowered his gaze, not wanting her to see how upset he was, "I just wanted to help" He spoke in a small voice, still not looking at her.

Erza instantly forgot why she was angry once she heard him speak. Her heart felt heavy and her tears were threatening to come out again. She felt guilty for making Gray upset. She knew he just wanted her to be happy and if she hadn't been wallowing in self-pity these past few days then everyone wouldn't be so worried about her.

"Gray… I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It was wr-"

"No, I'm sorry. I'll go now" He cut her off and proceeded to make his way home but stopped when he felt a hand grab a hold of his arm.

"Don't leave me like this Gray, I am sorry, you were just thinking about me and unfortunately… so was I". She stared at the back of his head, her hand still gripping onto his arm. He remained silent.

"We can do whatever you had planned for today, that is… if you still want to" She trailed off thinking he wouldn't want to spend the day with her now, not with the mood she's been in and who could blame him? However, Gray felt differently.

"Really!?" He gleamed, turning to face her, he grabbed hold of both her forearms, waving them in excitement, his dark eyes shone with anticipation for her consent to go ahead with his plans. It was now Erza's turn to be confused, how he had gone from angry and upset to overjoyed in 0.4 seconds was so unexpected that it made her smile. She smiled, after days of locking herself away and feeling blue, she smiled, and it was all because of this idiot. She just watched him rambling on and on about what he had planned and what places they were gonna go to first, with a huge grin on her face. Her arms were still waving about in front of her and then they stopped as Gray let go, looking at her face with wide eyes.

"Y-your face" He pointed at her, stepping back almost terrified. Erza frowned not knowing what he was going on about.

"What about it?" She asked him, touching her face carefully, feeling for anything unusual.

"You smiled!" He grinned feeling proud of himself as Erza rolled her eyes at him, "shut up" she playfully punched him on his arm as he chuckled.

"That's all I want to see" He told her, folding his arms.

"What?" She questioned, mirroring him.

"Your smile, it's nice" He said looking away but before he did he noticed Erza blushing slightly at his words and he couldn't help but notice how cute she looked.

"So, shall we go?" He asked her, giving her his hand and his kindest smile. Erza simply nodded happily and placed her hand in his as he dragged her out into the town.

A red kite was seen wafting into the air as the wind carried it higher and higher until suddenly it was out of sight. And that's how Erza now felt, free!


	2. Team Natsu

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the 2nd chapter that I wrote previously and the third one will be uploaded soon, depending on how many people want it. Jellal will be introduced most probably in chapter four, since the third one is already written. The plot hasn't developed as much yet as I'm still having fun writing with these characters and introducing them all. Anyway give it a read and tell me your thoughts :)**

** medelie thank you so much for you review, I'm glad you liked it so far :)**

** Grayza Lover Thanks! Well here's the next one for you :)**

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><p>The sun's rays beamed through the large window, casting a light on the sleeping red head, shining so bright it awoke her from her sleep. She opened one eye and immediately closed it, light patches appearing in her line of vision. Turning to her side she noticed the clock on her wall and saw the time.<p>

"What!" Realising the time she immediately jumped out of bed, still feeling a little hazy, and reequipped into her usual white blouse complete with a bow around her collar, her blue skirt and long black boots and ran towards the guild.

The guild was in its usual upbeat and lively atmosphere. Cana was sat up on the counter talking to Mirajane, a tankard in her hand and was soon joined by Lucy and Levy seemingly gossiping about something exciting that's happened.

"She came back way after midnight and she looked to be in a good mood" Levy relayed the little scene she encountered last night to her team, with Mira insisting she tell them everything in as much detail as possible as soon as Gray was mentioned in her little anecdote. _What were they talking about? What was she wearing? Was it a date? Did they make physical contact in any way?_ And suddenly, Levy wished she hadn't told them for the barrage of questions just kept on coming.

"She wasn't wearing anything out of the ordinary. I'm not sure if it was a date and no, they didn't do anything that _you're_ implying Mira" Levy sighed as more questions fell out of the take-over mage's mouth. "But what were they talking about?" Mira's intense glare made Levy nervous and made her feel as though she had to tell her something otherwise this would go on forever.

"Oh, uh I don't know, just saying their goodbyes I guess…" and just as Levy saw her mouth open again for more questions she quickly added "and he asked if they could do it again" she finished, instantly regretting adding that last bit of information as Mira's face lit up with curiosity and a little but too much excitement.

"Do what again?" Lucy asked perplexed, wondering what was up with Mira's face. Cana slammed her tankard down on the counter, demanding a refill and was over the moon when Mira threw her a whole barrel.

"No wonder she didn't turn up this morning, she must have been tired" Lucy swore she could see a smirk on Mira's face but decided it was best not to ask what she meant, and it was a good call too because just then, Erza walked in.

She looked around the guild giving it a quick scan. Natsu and Happy were sat at a table in a corner chomping on food that was piled high, Romeo and Wendy were sat at the table next to them with Macao and Wakaba and Gajeel and Lily were just leaving to go on a mission. She quickly noticed that Gray wasn't present and wondered where he could be, making her way over to the bar towards Mirajane and the rest of the girls.

She couldn't help but smile when she saw how excited everyone was to see her, she missed talking to these guys.

"Erza it's nice to see you back to your normal self again" Mira said, passing her a drink with a smile. Levy and Lucy nodded in agreement, it was good to see her interacting with others again, with how Erza would spend her time when she was in that lowly state, Lucy and the others rarely got to see her.

"Mm, I'm sorry if I worried you all, I just needed some time on my own" She explained, which they all understood. Sometimes being on your own really does help. To be able collect your thoughts and work things out in solitude and reflect upon it without feeling the need to hassle people can work. However, secluding yourself for days on end and pitying yourself is not the way to go for it can only bring your more down than you were before. You upset yourself over something that's happened, you start to wonder why it happened and think, what if you could have done something different. But that's all it is, a scenario and a useless one at that because no matter how much you try, how much you wish you could of done something different, you can't. And so you keep digging this hole until you're so far down you don't know how to get back out and there's no one to help because you were stupid enough to think that you could handle this by yourself, the darkness soon consumes you and that's when you get stuck.

But Gray threw her a ladder and told her to climb back out and come into the light. He told her to stop blaming herself and reminded her of how wonderful life truly is if you just stop to marvel at the space around you. There's billions of people in the world and in this hierarchy of human turmoil there're people above you, below you and some even on the same platform as you each with their own problems. You are but one tiny piece of the puzzle and every part is needed to make this world whole. And that's what Erza finally understood.

"Erza! You're back!" Happy the blue exceed walked up to her in his usual jovial mood with Natsu in tow. "Great to have you back Erza" He grinned "Now we can get the Team back together and go on a mission!" He fist pumped in the air excitedly, as Happy did the same with an "Aye!"

"Now that you mention it, I have been low on funds recently" Erza stated, looking at no one in particular. Natsu, Lucy and Happy held their breath anticipating her answer, "… Alright, let's do it".

"YEAH!" Team Natsu cheered, Erza laughed lightly at their reaction watching Natsu dash off towards the request board with Happy floating along behind him.

"Aren't you guys missing something" Cana asked the group as Lucy and Natsu argued about which quest to take. They both turned to look at the brunette who currently sat hugging her barrel, resting her chin on top. "Something… cold?" Cana went on staring at their puzzled faces.

"Yes, I was just about to ask. Where is Gray?" Erza asked, enlightening Natsu at the same time as he realised a certain Ice-make wizard wasn't around. It just wasn't team Natsu without the four (or five including Happy) of them together.

"I don't know, haven't seen him in a while" Natsu thought back to when they last saw each other which was yesterday when he left with Wendy to go on a quest. "Hey Wendy, you were with him yesterday, where did he go?" he asked the young dragon slayer.

"Uh, I don't know, the last time I saw him was… when he was… with you" Wendy looked at Erza and she suddenly had a flashback of Gray flying through the air into a tree followed closely by a very angry Erza. Wendy's eyes grew wide in shock as horrible thoughts danced around in her head.

_Oh my God, she killed him._

"Wendy, what's wrong?" Erza asked her concerned, "You look pale, are you sick?"

"N-nothing, I'm fine" She squeaked, avoiding eye contact, she could feel the blood draining from her face and she felt as though she was going to be sick. Mira quickly passed her a glass of water and Cana sat her down. Just then the guild doors opened, a cool breeze flowing through as a raven haired mage walked in casually, not noticing the numerous amount of eyes that were on him.

"Gray, you're alive!" Wendy dropped her glass of water in shock and dashed towards the now rather flummoxed Gray.

"Wha-!" Wendy tackled him to the ground, embracing him in a tight hug, making sure it was real.

"W-Wendy, what are you… talking about" his voice was strained from how tight she was hugging him and looking at everyone else in the hall, he wasn't the only one who was confused by the bluenettes actions.

"It really is you" She chuckled, "Are you okay?" She looked up at him, her eyes were watery but she had a huge smile on her face. Although confused, Gray began to relax, she truly was the cutest thing and he really admired how far she'd come and was amazed at how much stronger she had become based on their last mission.

"I am now that I can breathe" He jested, ruffling her hair, both laughing. Mira and the rest watched the two wizards in front of them admiring how sweet Gray was with her.

"You know, he'd make a good dad someday" Mira stated, still watching the two but also a certain red head for her reaction, but got nothing. "Yeah, whoever he ends up with will be a lucky woman" Lucy added, unaware of Mira's reason behind her statement. Erza watched Gray and Wendy, unknowingly smiling to herself and when she heard the two ladies comments she reminisced about her day with Gray yesterday.

She remembered how kind he was to her, how he laughed at the little things she'd say and the way he'd watch her with a stupid grin on his face whenever she'd go on for hours about her S class missions, not once interrupting her or trying to change the subject. Whatever she'd say he'd listen and whatever she wanted he gave her. From the small things like a drink and the largest strawberry cake he could find to going to the farthest town that they could reach and the highest peak they could climb, they laid down for hours watching the stars shine bright up above them. Viewing the meteor shower in awe, watching them fall in parallel trajectories, radiating the sky and entertaining Erza for hours with his creation magic making anything she asked for eventually turning it into a game. For the first time in days since she got that news, she forgot about him, and it felt amazing.

"Erza!"

"Huh?" Erza snapped out of her thoughts, Lucy waved her hand in front of her trying to get her attention.

"We're all here now, so shall we go? We finally picked one" Gesturing to the piece of paper in her hand, showing it to her.

"800,000 jewels to catch a thief?"

"It says he stole a valuable asset so it must be something pretty special" Lucy handed the flier to Mira before continuing "If we leave now we could get back… just before nightfall" she calculated quickly in her head.

"Let's go" Erza lead the way out of the guild followed by the rest of the group. Fairy Tail's strongest team was back in action.


	3. On a Mission

**A/N: Okay, so here's the third chapter which was the last that I had written, which means the next chapter will be more about Jellal x Erza x Gray. Give it a read and please let me know what you think by dropping a review :)**

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><p>It took some time but they had finally reached their destination, taking the train - much to Natsu's dismay - they reached Oshibana Town. Wondering the streets for a bit they reached their location, it was a large, extravagant looking building, the front entrance had large double doors and the two pillars either side of it supported a white, large pyramid shaped roof that was embossed in golden letters with the name 'HAYASHI'. It had so many floors you could have mistaken it for a hotel. The door swung open revealing an immaculate red carpet lining the large hall way, a huge chandelier hung from the high ceiling and the gloss white walls didn't have a mark on them. They made their way inside and the doors forcefully slammed shut behind them making Lucy jump.<p>

"HELLO? ANYBODY IN HERE?" Natsu shouted, his voice resonating down the hall.

They began walking up almost reaching the end of the hall checking the rooms along the way when suddenly from their nearest room on the right, which happened to be the very last room, they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Taking that as some sort of response to Natsu they all walked in to hopefully find someone, and they did.

The room was spacious, the red and white theme continuing, a grand white piano was stationed in the corner of the room where a glass wall showed off a beautiful courtyard outside, flowers carefully selected and planted creating a beautiful display of colours which resembled a face of some sort. And the owner of that face stood before them. He was surprisingly small, possibly the same size as Markorav however it could just be the size of the room and the furniture surrounding him. He was quite plump, with greying hair which was slicked back and a well-kept moustache. He was wearing a monocle with his black suit and holding a smoking pipe.

Introducing himself as Daiki Hayashi he requested that they find…

"A painting?" Natsu suddenly lost interest, "I came all the way over here on that death trap to look for a large piece of paper smeared with paint?" Natsu said flatly, remembering how long it took him to get here and the pain he felt every time Erza smashed her armoured fist into his gut to knock him unconscious, which unfortunately for the salmon haired wizard, didn't last the whole journey, so it was either get repeatedly knocked out or try to bear it… he chose the latter.

"Yes, it's a masterpiece, I painted it myself" The small man said proudly.

"So… are you some kind of artist?" Lucy asked him, hoping she didn't offend him.

"Of course I am!" He scoffed, taking a puff of his pipe which didn't seem to have anything in it.

"Then how come we haven't heard of you?" Gray asked him bluntly, eyeing up the suspicious looking pint sized man. The man's jaw dropped, outraged by how rude and upfront they all were.

"I'll have you know that I am a very well known, highly acclaimed artist, my paintings are put on show in only the best museums and bid for millions at auctions" He boasted, holding onto the lapel of his suit jacket.

"Well known?"  
>"Highly… acclaimed?"<p>

Gray and Natsu repeated those words as if they were foreign.

"I've honestly never seen any of your work before and my father was a huge fan of art, its odd none of us have heard of you" Lucy mused, enraging the man once again.

"If you have no appreciation for fine art then I suggest you leave!" Daiki retorted, clearly offended by the three mages.

"What! We only just got here!" Natsu yelled back, hating the thought of enduring that ride again so soon.

"Why don't you just paint another one and get it over with!" He crossed his arms, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Aye! Draw a fish!" Happy chimed in,

"I can't do that! The original is still out there! And you can't just draw something, you have to feel it!"

"Oh I can feel it alright" Happy patted his belly with glee, remembering the last fish he had on the train.

"Well it's not like they're gonna frame it, probably used it to wipe their as-"

"That's enough!" All of them immediately stopped arguing at the sound of Titania's voice, not wanting to get on her bad side. "We will retrieve that painting for you, but we're going need a little more information to help us out."

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you everything I know" Daiki then went into elaborate details about the last time he saw his painting and what little he knew of the person who took it. Once he had finished and answered all of Erza's queries, they left.

It was now slowly becoming dark, the street lamps turning on one by one as they walked across it. According to Daiki, he lost his painting a few days ago and the thief left a ransom note asking for 150,000,000 jewels to get the painting back asking to meet him by a large lake situated on the outskirts of Oshibana by tomorrow to do a swap. He, fearing it's a trap because;

"_Important and well known men like me are prone to being kidnapped and sold"_

"_Kid-napped?"_

"_Well technically, he is the same size as one so I guess it works"_

"_Shut it you stupid cat!" _

Enlisted the help of some wizards to retrieve it for him instead and capture the thief lest he do it to someone else. Erza and Lucy lead the way talking about something whilst Natsu and Gray followed behind them getting into another one of their spontaneous arguments, Happy hovering along beside them.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand" Lucy added to the end of her sentence after a while, not wanting it to become awkward between her and Erza.

"No, it's fine… Jellal has been released and he remembers everything now, he…" she paused hearing Lucy gasp, not sure whether to continue her sentence because she didn't really want to talk about this now but still, she felt like she owed her an explanation after all the worry she'd caused her friends, so she continued, "he wants to meet with me-"

"You're not really going to meet with him are you? You can't, not after everything he's put you through!" Lucy protested before Erza could finish. She didn't say anything because honestly she didn't know what she was going to do. A part of her wanted to see him, she wanted to hurt him like he'd hurt her and all her friends and for what he did to Simon but then again… She remembered seeing him, how he'd forgotten everything but her name and even tried to sacrifice himself. She believed he had changed but could she really forgive him after all this time?

"I don't know yet" She simply answered, looking straight ahead, hoping Lucy would drop it now. They walked in silence for the rest of the journey until they reached the lake. The lake was quite large and hills of varying sizes towered around it spotted with tall trees. They decided to head up so they could get a better view and rest for a few hours until the perpetrator arrived. They found a dugout that was covered with hedges at the entrance which they used as their hideout and fell sound asleep. However, all Erza could think about was him again. She slowly got out of her sleeping bag not wanting to wake up the celestial wizard and snuck out unnoticed by all except Gray.

Erza sat herself down at the top of the hill, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugged herself, tears slowly beginning to spill. She looked up at the perfect white sphere in the sky, reflecting its borrowed light generously over the town, the lake looking tranquil. She heard footsteps approaching and she quickly wiped her face with her arm not wanting anyone to see her like this, with a soft thud Gray sat down next to her, admiring the moon. They sat like this for a while, neither of them saying a word, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, it was peaceful.

Gray rested his forearms on his knees, his hand clasping his wrist, looking deep in thought. Erza looked at him after a while of sitting like this, the moonlight gracing his features, highlighting his jawline and dark hair that fell above his eyes that were staring off into the distance and she observed how his chest would slowly rise and fall, his white jacket trailing behind him. She sat studying him like he was one of those 'masterpieces' that Daiki talked about. Refocusing to his surroundings again, Gray felt her gaze and looked at her, who then turned to look straight ahead avoiding meeting his eyes.

"I know why you're crying" He said quietly, looking back up at the sky.

"I wasn-"

"Cry" Erza stopped what she was about to say and looked at Gray bewildered.

"What?" She asked him not sure what he meant by that one word.

"Cry" He repeated, like he was instructing her. Gray turned his face toward her, both now staring at each other. "I'm here to wipe your eyes so it's okay if you want to cry, because I'm here for you but let me tell you this" he continued, his tone now more serious, almost strict, "This is the last time you'll cry for him" and that was when she broke down. Her tears overwhelmed her, but she didn't hold back even when Gray held her and pulled her in towards him. He didn't say anything, he just held her. She sobbed uncontrollably like a child in his arms all night until she exhausted herself and eventually fell asleep.

The sun reached its highest peak, shining its light through the hedges, into the dugout and onto Lucy's face. She awoke, her eyes adjusting to the lighting and realised where she was. Turning to her side she noticed Erza wasn't sleeping next to her. The blonde sat up and looked across from her where Natsu and Happy were still snoring, rather obnoxiously, and gently shook them awake.

"Huh? Lucy… where's Gray and Erza?" Natsu spoke groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"They must be waiting outside, come on lets go" The three of them crawled out from their hiding place, Natsu managing to wedge himself in between the hedges calling for Happy to pull him free. Lucy stood up, looking around for her friends. There wasn't anyone by the lake yet so she assumed it was still early, birds hummed their sweet tune and a rabbit dove into its hole. Red hair fluttered in the breeze instantly drawing Lucy attention to a large tree a few feet away and made her way towards it whilst Happy freed Natsu and he tumbled out.

"Thanks for the help pal" Natsu thanked the blue exceed who was catching his breath.

"Anytime Natsu, I'm just glad it wasn't Lucy that was stuck or we would've been here all da-"

"SHUT IT CAT!" Lucy yelled, who was still within earshot and gave chase.

Gray sat with Erza who was resting on his shoulder. She awoke a few times but he told her he wasn't here yet so she closed her eyes again. Gray hardly slept, listening to one of his closest friends crying all night knowing he couldn't make it go away wasn't how he wanted to spend his time with her but he didn't mind. He nodded off once a twice once Erza collapsed onto his lap, tired from crying but awoke at the smallest sound of a dear walking up to the lake or the flapping of a birds wings taking off.

Admiring the lake and how the light reflected off its surface he saw a shifty looking man, dressed in all black with a cloth around his face to hide his identity walking around it. He had a tube of some sort in his hand, his eyes scouting for something or someone. Gray jerked forward realising it was he they had been waiting for, awaking Erza up in the process. They stood up, joined by Natsu, Happy and Lucy ready to make their next move.

"Let's make this quick so we can head back" Gray told the rest who gave him a quick nod and ran to their posts. Gray walked down the hill, hands in his pockets, towards the man, Happy in tow affixing something to his face. The man, noticing the two and stiffened, his hand gripping the tube or what was now clear to be a large rolled up piece of paper with a red bow holding it in place. They now stood a few feet apart, eyeing each other up.

"I've come to take my painting" Happy spoke, loud and clearly, he wore a thick grey moustache much like the one Daiki had and his eyes shone brightly, proud of his new role. The man stayed quiet for a while not quite sure what to make of the situation. He knew the artist was small but… to be a cat? Now that was unexpected. However this made the job a lot easier for the Fairy Tail wizards, since Daiki told them no one knows what he really looks like, they didn't need him present and Happy was more than up for it.

"Is this a joke?" The man sounded unimpressed.

"Unhand it at once or feel my wrath!" Happy shook his little fist at the unfazed man, taking his role a little too seriously. "For I am the GREAT HAYA-"Happy froze, hand still in the air as he felt something falling off his face. Gray face palmed and the man stepped back alarmed.

"H-Hey! You're just a cat!" The man shouted, pointing at the unmoved cat.

"YOU JUST NOTICED THAT NOW?" Gray was against Natsu and Happy's idea in the first place telling them that no one would be stupid enough to fall for his disguise because he looked nothing like a human, he looked like a cat with a moustache. But the fact that this 'masked, ingenious criminal' actually fell for it left Gray flabbergasted.

Happy's mouth dropped wide open, his arm doing the same, his eyes as wide as dinner plates. "I can't believe it Gray, he saw through my disguise" Happy whispered to Gray from the corner of his mouth.

"_This is ridiculous"_ was all Gray could say to himself. He went into his ice-make stance, closed hand on top of open palm and a blue cool light radiated from its surface.

"You're gonna hand over that painting and come with us" Gray said coolly to the man, who had now become agitated, starting to retreat. "To hell I am!" He shouted, running up towards the surrounding hill that Natsu just happened to be hiding on, awaiting him to make his escape.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" A brilliant burst of flame shot through the trees and down the hill launching at the thief like a burning missile. The man screamed in pain as the flames enveloped his body and another dazzling light shot from behind him, a burst of ice froze his midsection including both his arms and he collapsed from all the odd sensations he was feeling.

"Natsu you flame brained idiot! You nearly burnt the art work!" Gray fumed storming over to Natsu who jumped down from his hiding spot and stomped up to Gray annoyed that he intercepted his attack.

"Who cares about the art work? I stopped him didn't I?!" Natsu countered, waving his arms about in anger, they were now face to face, glaring at each other, unknowingly stepping on the man they had just fried and frozen all at the same time.

"That's not the point you pink-haired freak!"

"Who you calling a freak? You perverted ice-cube!"

"What did you just call me?!" A shirtless Gray and Natsu each raised a fist ready to strike when suddenly a metal hand wrapped around their hair and their feet left the ground.

"What did I JUST tell you two!?" Erza yelled at the two wizards flailing about in her hands.

"Ah! We're sorry Erza!"

It took a while but they managed to get back to Daiki's house with his painting, the thief being dragged along by Erza, unconscious of course, after Erza knocked him out when he awoke half way through their journey and tried to make a run for it. She threw the man to the ground before him and Lucy handed him his artwork that was still rolled up neatly in its bow.

"Thank you so much! I don't know how I could ever repay you" The man now wearing a plush looking red robe with a fur trim and still holding that smokeless pipe, thanked them.

"800,000 jewels should cover it" Gray specified plainly, getting an elbow to his rib courtesy of Lucy.

"Oh, oh yes of course, I'll just go collect your reward." He dropped the 'valuable' artwork in his haste and ran out of the room. The five of them just stared at it on the floor.

"You know, I really would like to see his work" Lucy said curiously, slowly edging towards the paper.

"Let's take a look" Natsu said walking up to the rolled up paper on the ground and picking it up.

"Natsu don't! It's rude" Erza said sternly, yanking the paper out of his hand.

"What? Don't you want to see this 'valuable asset' that we came all this way for?" Natsu huffed, folding his arms.

"He does have a point. I mean we did spend longer than expected to retrieve it for him… a little peek won't hurt" Lucy added, tempting Erza to open it. Erza sighed giving in to their pleading faces and slid the bow off, revealing the artwork of this highly acclaimed artist. Erza let the paper roll out like a scroll and Lucy, Happy, Natsu and Gray each had the same, open mouthed, wide eyed, blank look plastered onto their faces.

"What is it?" Erza asked, not daring to take a look herself.

"It's…" Lucy tried to find the right words to describe it,

"It's…" Happy uttered, searching for words to finish Lucy's sentence.

"It's blank" Natsu and Gray said in unison their voices as plain as the piece of paper Erza held.

"What!?" Erza said nonplussed, flipping the paper round and confirming that it was indeed a plain old piece of paper. "I… I don't understand, did the thief trick us? Was he planning to keep the money and the artwork all along?"

"I knew we should have looked at it before dragging him back here!" Gray said, sounding irritated. "Yeah but, Daiki did say not to open it, so it really couldn't be helped" Lucy told him but her voice was still filled with disappointment.

"We can't accept the money" Erza said "We promised to retrieve his artwork, we should have seen this coming."

"What!? No way! You mean we did all this for nothing? That shorty didn't tell us anything about being conned so now it's his problem" Natsu retaliated, remembering the suffering he faced just to make it here. The small man walked back in with a large bag of money stopping when he saw Erza standing with a paper in her hand and Happy, Lucy and Gray staring with blank faces.

"I'm sorry, we can't accept this" Erza said, turning to face him. The man stood, bag in his hand, a small smile spreading across his face.

"Ah! I see you're admiring my artwork" Team Natsu were absolutely bamboozled. Did he not see what they could see? "Y-you mean this?" Erza asked him, perplexed, pointing to the paper in her hand. Daiki simply nodded a proud look on his face. Were they holding it the wrong way round? Did they have to look at it from his height? Was some sort of magic involved? Neither of them could understand what he was going on about. "B-but there's nothing on it" Lucy uttered.

"Precisely" He took a puff of his pipe, "Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there" He concluded. Not one of them spoke a word. Erza's eye began to twitch as she tried to retain her composure, Natsu's hands were engulfed in small flames whilst Lucy and Gray repeated the words he just said in their minds. Daiki stood, unmindful of their expressions. That was until Happy stepped forward.

"Sir, I think you may just be the world's most fantastic fool" Happy said, voice so serious Daiki couldn't help but take it as a compliment.

"I… I-"Natsu stammered, Lucy looked at him, his face unreadable,

"Natsu?"

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!"

The walls that were once so sparkling clean they glistened, were now charred and black as coal.


	4. A Fateful Encounter?

**A.N: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long but finally, here's Chapter 4. As promised the story will start to get interesting (I hope?) as I focus more on my main characters. Thank you to everyone who have read and reviewed so far, it really means a lot. **

** MintDreams Thanking you especially for your kind words which motivated me to continue this story. Glad you liked it so far :)**

**Anyway give it a read and let me know what you think! **

* * *

><p>"400,000's not too bad, right?"<p>

"It's better than nothing, but I was hoping to get the full amount" Lucy sighed. After Natsu's outburst on their last mission, Hayashi refused to pay them the full amount due to damages caused to his property. Because, of course, after Natsu roasted his house, Gray couldn't help but turn the remainder of his house into an ice rink and then, there was Erza.

"I'm just amazed you managed to keep the damage to just his house, and courtyard… and his yacht." Mirajane chimed in. They had only been back less than an hour ago, but she managed to pick up what happened on their mission by tuning into Natsu and Gray's arguments and Lucy's conversation with Levy. Erza was sat by the bar next to a drunk Cana, having no intention to start a conversation with the brunette or anyone else for that matter. Mirajane watched her from a distance, observing her behaviour. After finishing off her cake, Erza stood up to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" Mirajane smiled at her sweetly, picking up her empty plate.

"Mm." She mumbled, "It's been a long day, I think I'll have an early night."

"You're right, a nice hot bath and an early night is just what I need" Lucy added, stifling a yawn. She waved goodbye to Levy and the rest and followed Erza out of the guild. She had to run a little to catch up with Erza's long strides. The blonde wasn't sure how to start a conversation with her, or if she even wanted to. Erza had insisted that she was fine and had gotten over all this business with Jellal, but, however much Lucy wanted to believe her, she just couldn't. She seemed distracted on their mission and when she saw her with Gray that morning sitting by the tree, Lucy noticed Erza's eyes were red and puffy like she had spent the whole night crying. She contemplated asking her on their train ride home whilst Natsu was passed out and Gray and Happy would hopefully have fallen asleep. But it seemed Gray was as wide awake as ever.

Erza soon slowed down once she figured that Lucy wasn't going to let this go. After all, they were already at Fairy Hills. Erza stopped and turned to face the blonde. Lucy seemed a little nervous like she knew it was a bad idea. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to find a starting point but her words failed her. After watching Lucy role playing a fish for a while she sighed, knowing this wasn't going anywhere.

"Lucy, I know you're concerned about me and I know my behaviour deceives my words, but I promise you, after a good night's sleep, I'll be back to my usual self. You'll see." Erza gave Lucy her best smile with the most convincing voice she could put on, hoping it would be enough to get her off her back.

Lucy watched her for a while, debating on whether she should believe her or not.

_I guess some rest would do her some good. Maybe I'm just worrying too much. No-one else at the guild seemed to notice her behaviour was off. I guess I'm just looking into things too much._

"I guess you're right. I worry too much" Lucy replied. "Well then, I'll see you tomorrow!" Lucy smiled, waving her goodbye and heading towards her apartment. Erza watched her figure slowly fade away into the darkness, making sure she was gone. She let out a sigh of relief. She felt bad about lying to one of her friends but she also felt bad about making her worry for no reason. This was Erza's problem and she was going to deal with it by herself. She looked to her right at Fairy Hills and proceeded to walk towards the large double doors. She stopped in front of them to find her keys when something caught her eye.

"Who's there?" Erza called out, wielding her sword. Her eyes darted around in the dark, trying to adjust to the dim lighting. She could have sworn she saw something, no, felt something watching her. She walked around the perimeter of the building, nearing the corner, she looked down. The ground seemed darker. She cautiously took a step forward, her sword held out in front of her. Keeping an eye on her blade, she saw something in its reflection. She could tell it was human, unfortunately she couldn't make out who it was for half of their face was covered with a hood. She inched closer to her blade trying to recognise their features but had no time. A hand pulled her in by her sword and held onto her from behind.

Erza, thinking instinctively, drew back her arm and elbowed her captor who then released their grip around her neck, clutching onto their stomach. She grabbed her sword that landed on the ground a few seconds ago and held it to their neck.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Erza demanded. Judging by their outline she could now tell it was a man. He raised his hands to show her he was no threat and slowly lowered his hood.

Erza stepped back alarmed, dropping her sword in the process. "J-Jellal?" she breathed.

"Erza, it's been a while."

"… W-what are you doing here?"

"After you stopped responding to my letters I got worried, so I came to see you." Jellal explained. He couldn't quite meet her eyes, opting to stare at her boots instead. The truth was, he hadn't planned on actually talking to her face to face, he just wanted to see her. The red head was the only thing occupying his mind and he longed to see her again, even if it was just a glimpse.

"You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine. My guild makes sure of that."

"I can see that… you really do have some great friends." They stood silently for a while not knowing what to say next. Erza wanted to speak to him some more but a part of her still resented him. She knew that he was being manipulated, that he was a good person at heart and he still felt guilty for everything he did, but a small part of her wanted nothing to do with him.

"Erza I-"  
>"Not here." Erza grabbed his arm and pulled him down so that they were both crouching. A square of light appeared on the ground just in front of where they were hiding.<p>

"We can talk, but not here." She whispered to him, watching a silhouette walking past the window they were crouched under. "Follow me." She led him away from Fairy Hills and they wandered the streets for a while. Walking around in the cool night air was calming for them and soon enough their words fell out more easily. Their conversations flowed effortlessly and the time went by so quickly, they could see the sun's rays peeking through the horizon.

"You look tired, you should get some rest whilst you can." Jellal spoke to her softly as she watched the darkness fade away and the sunlight breaking through. She brought her hand up to her mouth as she yawned. Her eyelids felt heavy as though she would fall into a deep slumber if she blinked again.

"Yes, I should get back before they realise I'm not there." Erza agreed, standing up from where they were both laying on the grass. Jellal did the same, brushing himself off of any dirt. He pulled his hood up, over his blue scraggly hair and put both his hands into his pockets.

"I hope to see you again, Erza."

"Me too." She smiled and they both walked off in opposite directions.

Making her way back to Fairy Hills she thought about where this was all going. Had she finally forgiven Jellal? After talking to him all night and hearing his side of the story she just wanted to reach out and hug him. Being a slave since childhood and then being possessed by what he said was the ghost of Zeref, and to then be sent to prison, Jellal had never experienced true freedom. He wasn't lucky enough to stumble across Fairy Tail and have a family again like she did. He had always been on his own.

She looked up as she neared the familiar looking building and entered as quietly as she could, hoping nobody would be awake at this time. She snuck into her room and closed the door, collapsing on to her bed. As soon as her skin made contact with the mattress her eyes closed shut and she immediately fell asleep.

**~ At the guild ~**

Gray and Lucy walked into the guild together, discussing something when they spotted Natsu and Happy at the other end of the hall, by the bar. Lucy acknowledged them with a small nod and walked over to Mirajane dragging a rather anxious looking Gray along with her.

"Hey, have you seen Erza?" Gray asked Mirajane as soon as she was in earshot.

"No, I haven't seen her all day actually."

"I tried to wake her earlier but she wasn't responding. She must really be tired." The bookworm joined in, concerned.  
>"I know you guys had a long mission but for to her be asleep the whole day?"<p>

"I knew it! I shouldn't have believed her!"

"Huh? What are you talking about now?" Gray frowned. Lucy looked up surprised, not realising she was talking out loud. Everyone turned their attention towards her now, awaiting an answer.

"She's obviously still upset about Jellal, I bet she was up all night thinking about it…"

Gray scowled once he heard his name. He hated what he did to Erza, so much so, that even hearing his name made him vexed. He folded his arms across his chest, hoping no one else would bring him up. He looked around the room to distract himself and hide his loathing when his gaze landed on a certain blunette who was rather quiet, playing with the hem of her dress, avoiding all eye contact.

"… Wendy?" Gray called, standing right in front of her. She froze where she was, not daring to look up.

"Hmm?" She responded meekly.

"Do you know something I don't?" He asked, talking to the top her head. She looked so small from where he stood. He glared at her, expecting some sort of reply from her blue hair. She slowly tilted her head up, her big brown eyes meeting his dark ones. She blinked a few times before answering. Choosing her words carefully.

"Um… I- I heard a noise late at night and I got scared. So, I… I went downstairs to see what it was and… and- I saw Erza-San sneaking out with someone through the bushes."

"Sneaking out?"

"Erza?"

"So what was the noise!?"

"Natsu, I'm not sure you understand the point of this conversation."

"Did you see who she was with?" Gray asked her, stepping towards her. He was so close to her, it made Wendy uncomfortable and it didn't help how he was now suddenly half naked.

"Uh… Well I-" Wendy looked at Gray's expectant eyes to Lucy's kind ones.

"Anything? Anything at all?"

"Um… I-"

"It's okay if you don't know, just tell us." Lucy said gently, realising how overbearing Gray was being. Gray sighed and leant back, sitting on the floor in front of Wendy, clearly annoyed. He really wanted to know who she was with. He knew it really wasn't his business and that he shouldn't care but, something was nagging at him at the back of his mind. Wendy could see how frustrated he was but she didn't know if what she would say next would help or make it worse. She also didn't know if it was even her place to say or if she really did see who she thoughts she saw. Nevertheless, the words escaped her lips. Gray sat motionless staring at her lips, as she spoke, somehow the words didn't reach him.

"Are you sure?"

"But I thought he was…"

"Maybe you were mistaken…"

"… Released just a while ago."

Gray tuned in and out to everyone's responses, not giving one himself. He still couldn't believe what he had heard or maybe he just didn't want to believe it. He could feel anger build up inside him, remembering how much Erza cried for him, how he haunted her dreams, giving her many troubled nights. And how she had shut herself away from everyone; from her guild, her family.  
>Gray stood up, abruptly, and walked out of the guild, ignoring everybody's gazes, questions and Natsu's name-calling. He didn't know where he was going exactly, he just knew he was going somewhere. He let his legs take over while his thoughts ran wild.<br>He debated whether or not he should go to see Erza but what reason did he have to go and see her? To tell her something that she already knows? It was inevitable that Jellal and Erza would see each other at least once, and it wasn't like Erza couldn't take care of herself so why was he acting like this?

He took a detour around town and headed to his apartment. Half the day had already gone by without him realising it. Stuck in his thoughts he barely took notice of his surroundings and accidently walked into someone. Their shoulders collided with such force he stumbled.

"S-sorry." The man quickly apologised and speed-walked ahead. Gray turned back to look at the hooded man. Something about him seemed familiar. He shrugged it off and carried on walking. He saw an old lady struggling with her shopping bags and ran to help her.

"Here, let me take that." He said to her, picking up all of her bags with ease. The lady looked at him with kind eyes and smiled. She was a feeble old lady with deep-set eyes and lined skin. Her grey hair was thinning and her back stooped as she hobbled alongside him with her cane.  
>"Are you sure? It's a long walk." She said, looking straight ahead. "I have to get to the other side of town."<p>

"You walked all the way here?" Gray looked at her with surprise and concern. _Did she always walk long distances?  
><em>"Yes, I don't come here a lot, but it's the only place to get my medicine." She explained. Gray was surprised by her tone. Regardless of her long journey and how obvious it was that she was struggling, she still seemed so relaxed and happy.  
>"But why couldn't you just take the bus? Or send someone to go get it?" She may be fine with it but it just didn't sit right with Gray. Where was this woman's family? And why was she here on her own, so far away from her home?<p>

The lady chuckled lightly at the young man's concern for her. "I live alone and I despise public transport. Besides, walking will do my body some good."

"But still, you shouldn't be out here by yourself, it's cold and it's getting dark." He scolded her, like she was a child. The lady looked up at him and laughed but Gray didn't understand what was so amusing, he was being serious. "Huh? What's so funny?" He frowned.

"Nothing. It's just nice to see there are still some good people in the world." Smiling to herself she looked up at the sky, breathing in the fresh air. The raven-haired mage looked at her solicitously. What made her say something like that? Did something happen to her personally to make her say that or was she just thinking of the world generally? Intrigued by his new acquaintance, he began asking her more and more questions. He loved how gentle her voice was, like a mother stroking her child. Something about her just reminded him or Ur. It was soon becoming dark and they had reached her destination. She lived in a small cottage, just on the outskirts of town. She didn't seem like she had anyone for company and after she had asked him so kindly, he couldn't decline her offer to stay.

He put the bags in her kitchen whilst she made him some tea. He took the time to observe her house. It was small and cosy inside and there wasn't a thing out of place. Her house was immaculate, I guess living on your own would make it easy to maintain the cleanliness. He turned around to find two cups of teas on the wooden table, the old lady carefully propped her cane up against the wall and gestured to the wooden chair opposite her before taking a seat herself. He sat down and held the cup in his hands, it was warm.

"Thank you." He said politely as he picked it up, inhaling the scent. She stared intently at him for a while as he brought it up to his lips. Gray suddenly felt self-conscious and shifted awkwardly in his seat.

_Do I have something on my face? Maybe I should say something… _

"Uh, you have nice walls." Gray mentally face-palmed as he realised how stupid he sounded.  
><em>Who compliments the fucking walls? Why not just say the tea was nice? Idiot.<br>_Finding his awkwardness amusing, she couldn't help but laugh again. Gray eased a little and began to relax, laughing along with her. After a few moments silence, she spoke again.

"So why don't you tell me what's troubling you, Gray?"  
>"Huh?"<br>"I said, tell me what's-"  
>"No… H-how do you know my name? I never told you."<br>"I could tell you that… Or I could tell you something that is of more use to you."

**~ Later that day ~**

Gray walked around a little longer and finally found what he had been looking for.

"What are you doing out at this time?" He asked her. Erza looked somewhat cornered, like she had been caught doing something she shouldn't be.  
>"I was running some errands." She quickly replied, avoiding his intense gaze.<br>"You weren't at the guild today."  
>"Like I said, I was busy," He continued to stare at her, she couldn't see him herself but she could feel his eyes on her.<p>

_Why do I find it so difficult to tell him about Jellal? I'm convinced that he's changed so why should Gray's opinion matter? Where did all this guilt come from?  
><em>Erza kept asking herself this but reached no conclusion. Finally, she decided it was best to just avoid Gray and head back to her room. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get back." She added as she pushed past him to get to where she was going. Gray put his arm out, grabbing a hold of her waist to stop her from moving any further. Erza glared at him, trying to break out of his hold but his grip was too strong.

"How can you still be with him?" He asked her, his tone was indifferent.  
>"What?"<br>"After everything you've been through… why do you still do this to yourself?" His voice was softer now. He loosened his grip and his now sad eyes were filled with concern.  
>"What I do with myself and who I chose to keep as company is none of your concern Gray." She responded curtly, stepping away from him.<br>"I just don't think he's very good company, that's all."  
>"You don't know anything about him."<br>"I know that he wasn't released," Gray responded coolly, "He escaped." Erza was taken aback by what he had said. She opened her mouth, ready to respond but her mind gave her nothing.  
>"…No. You're wrong, you don't know what you're talking about." was all she could spit out.<br>"Think about it, if he really was innocent and they let him go then why is he still sneaking around? Why would he need to hide his face in public?"  
>"It's because he-"<br>"And do you know what really bothers me about all this, Erza? It's the fact that you know this, and are still willing to help him." Erza was stunned, how had he seen through her so easily? She could feel her heartbeat rising as guilt took over her. She could no longer look him in the eyes. She was always one to go by the book, and never break a rule. But for Jellal she found herself doing things she didn't think were possible. How could she ever show her face to Master Markorav and the Fairy Tail guild if they knew what she was doing. She looked back up into Gray's dark eyes and her guilt rapidly turned into anger.  
>"What has he ever done to you?" She snapped. What did he even know about Jellal? She couldn't remember the two of them ever talking at all, so what reason did he have?<br>"It's not about what he's done to me. It's about what he's done to you."  
>"If I can move on and accept him for who he is, then, why can't you?" Gray was alarmed by her question. He honestly never thought about it like that and she was right. What possible reason could he have to hate him? He thought it was because of what he did to Erza but, if she could forget it so easily then that reason was now void. Erza slowly walked off, leaving him standing there on his own. But before she could get away, he called out; "I won't let him do this to you, Erza."<p>

Hearing those words made her immediately stop in her tracks. She turned slowly - facing his back - waiting for him to do something, turn around, walk up to her, repeat what he just said, but he did nothing. Gray was aware that she was now watching him and continued:  
>"All of this, you don't deserve it. He doesn't deserve you."<br>"That's not for you to say, Gray!"  
>"All this time, I was helpless. I couldn't stop you from hurting, but now… now I can." Gray continued, his words spilled out before he even knew what he was saying. All he could think about was how distant Erza was, and how she refused to share her problems. And now the solution to her problems was as clear as day. He just needed to take out the glitch that was in her life.<p>

"Stop this nonsense! I don't need your help Gray. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Erza couldn't comprehend what he was saying to her or where he was going with this, but she knew she didn't like it.

"I'm sorry, but I already made a promise… and I never break a promise, no matter what."  
>Without stopping to hear what Erza was going to say next, he walked off. No matter how many times she called out to him or asked him what he meant, he didn't stop. He was determined to help her, even if she didn't ask for it. Erza felt something slide down her cheeks, it was warm - but her heart felt so cold, just standing there as the thought of losing Jellal again so soon dawned on her. She willed her body to move and go after him, however, all she could do was watch him walk away. She dropped down to her knees and yelled;<p>

"GRAY!"


	5. Erza's Resolve

**A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long to update guys. To tell you the truth it would have taken longer because this wasn't where I wanted to finish this chapter however I felt like it was getting too long and I was taking forever to write it out. If you feel the chapters are too long let me know and if it's too much dialogue I apolagise. **

**Also, special thanks to; Black Falcoln, Crackers, anime is my attitude, Thunder explosion and Zrazarud for taking the time to leave a review, I really do appreciate it :)**

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><p>Lucy got up and sauntered towards her front door, wondering who it could be at this late hour. She opened the door half way and stood in front of the doorway, wanting to know who it was before they welcomed themselves into her apartment. She stared at the figure standing outside her door, looking perplexed. She couldn't see their face due to the dim surroundings and their hair that masked their eyes. However, it was the boots, skirt and let's not forget the long scarlet hair that flowed down past her shoulders that instantly gave away who it was.<br>"Erza?"  
>"Can I come in?" Erza asked her, still not meeting her eyes. Lucy smiled, although she could not see it, and stepped aside to let her in.<br>"Sure," She said as she closed the door behind her. "I mean it's not like you've needed permission before but thanks for asking." She laughed, but immediately stopped when she noticed how unusually quiet Erza was being. She stood a few feet away from Lucy, her back facing her. Her head was down and Lucy could see slightly, just slightly, her shoulders shaking.  
>"Lucy…" She whimpered, bringing a hand up to her face. Lucy felt her heart break seeing her like this. So broken. She took a small step towards her, not knowing how to go about this. After all, this wasn't just anybody she was consoling here, it was Erza Scarlet. And Erza Scarlet seldom broke down in front of others.<br>"Erza, what's happened?" She slowly brought her arm out to touch her shoulder but before she could make contact, Erza turned around to face her. Lucy froze where she was, arm still outstretched. Erza's large honey eyes were filled to the brim with tears, threatening to spill and her bottom lip quivered in a desperate attempt to keep everything in.  
>"I-It's Jellal!" She cried. Lucy sprang right towards her and without thinking, wrapped her arms around her, hugging her as tight as she could. Erza buried her face in between her neck and shoulder and sobbed, too choked up to say anything else. Lucy didn't quite know what to say or what Jellal could have possibly done to make her feel like this but in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to Lucy-Kick him into the spirit world where her spirits could have at him. She rubbed her back soothingly in a bid to comfort her, her left shoulder soaked in tears.<p>

"Please, don't cry." She pleaded, feeling her own eyes tearing up and she hated herself for it. She was meant to be making her feel better not join her! She closed her eyes and tried to think of what to do next.

_Why did she have to come to me? I'm so helpless! She could have gone to Mirajane or any of the other girls at Fairy Hills. Heck! Even Natsu would have been more help. _

Lucy thought frantically about what she could do, but nothing came to her. She couldn't help but feel slightly awkward standing in the middle of her apartment with a crying Erza on her shoulder. Surely, it should be the other way round?  
>After what seemed like forever, Erza's crying finally subsided. She stood up and dried her eyes with her arm. "I'm sorry." She sniffed, avoiding eye contact. Erza felt embarrassed, she had never cried like that before, especially in front of someone. She didn't even know why she came to Lucy in the first place. Her dorm room was so much closer to her than her apartment and yet here she was.<p>

"Hey, it's okay. I'm glad you let it all out." Lucy said sympathetically. They stood there for a while, neither of them knowing what to say next. Erza still felt embarrassed and Lucy felt awkward, not wanting to say the wrong thing to her and set her off again.  
>"Do you… wanna talk about it?" Lucy asked her kindly. She would completely understand if she didn't. If she just wanted a shoulder to cry on then so be it.<br>Erza thought about this for a moment. She still didn't feel like it was right to throw her problems onto someone else, she didn't even know if it would help at all.  
><em>Would Lucy even know what to do? Would she help me or tell me how stupid I have been? Would she judge me and tell the rest of the guild? Maybe they already know… Gray, he… he must have gone to tell master. Idiot! I should have stopped him! I should have gone after him!<em>

Lucy was alarmed to see Erza crying again. She quickly ran to get a tissue and wiped her eyes. Erza looked up at Lucy once she felt something soft rub against her cheeks. She didn't even realise she was crying again. She slowly wrapped her fingers around Lucy's hand and pulled it away from her gently. She opened her mouth as if to say something but no sound escaped her lips.  
>"Why don't you sit down?" Lucy said as she gently pulled her towards her couch.<br>"I can't." Erza protested. Lucy looked up at her, confused.  
>"You know you can tell me anything right? Whatever it is, you can trust me." Lucy said after a moment of silence.<br>"You can't help, this is all my fault and Gra-." Erza immediately stopped talking, she couldn't even bring herself to say his name anymore. He had ruined everything. She hated herself for letting him in and she hated him even more for what he was possibly going to do. His actions weren't quite clear to her yet, but she knew it wasn't going to end well for her and Jellal.

"Gray?" Lucy raised her eye eyebrow, wondering why she had stopped and what Gray had to do with all of this. Of course, he must know something since she noticed the two of them had been spending a lot time together recently. "What about him?" She asked.  
>"Jellal, he…" Lucy tried to be patient and wait for her to finish her sentence but this was all getting too much for her. She had continuously asked the red-head what was wrong, but every time she repeated the same answer. Even though Lucy knew she wasn't telling the truth she didn't want to be too persistent and decided to leave it. Now she wished she hadn't. What kind of friend did that make her? She thought.<br>"Erza, whatever it is, just tell me. I can help you, you're like family to me and I care about you a lot, so please, just let me help you." Lucy beseeched. Erza stayed quiet for a moment and realised that she couldn't deal with this herself no matter how many times she tried to deny it. She took a deep breath… and let it all out.

* * *

><p>Erza walked into the guild the following morning with Lucy. After telling her everything that was had been on her mind the past few days she was relieved to find that Lucy was on her side. They sat up the whole night talking and with the moon taking its place, Erza finally fell asleep on Lucy's bed, feeling better than she had just a few hours ago.<br>Erza looked around the guild hall nervously, expecting the worst. Scanning the room for a certain ice make mage, she was thankful to find that he wasn't there. She walked cautiously towards Mirajane who was wiping the counter, paying no attention to who entered and left the guild. She stood in front of the bar and stared at her anxiously. Sure, she didn't really mind if she was mad at her and had a go at her, that was to be expected but what she wouldn't stand is being ignored. After a long few seconds Mirajane snapped out of her trance and looked up at the tense red-head, surprised.  
>"Erza! I didn't see you standing there, I'm sorry. What can I get you?" She asked her in her usual cheerful tone. Erza breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn't told them… yet.<br>"Just some water would be fine, thanks." She said smiling at her.  
>"I'll bring it right over. What about you, Lucy?" She asked the blonde who was standing beside her.<p>

Erza sat herself at a table, the celestial spirit mage taking the seat opposite her.  
>"See, I told you he wouldn't tell." Lucy said, knowing that Erza had been worried for nothing.<br>"For now." Erza added with a sigh. They sat silently for a while, Erza couldn't stop thinking about Jellal and Lucy couldn't get the image of Erza sobbing like a child in her flat so late at night out of her head. So consumed in her thoughts she didn't notice who was around her until she heard Mirajane shout out, "Hi Gray! How was your mission?" Erza immediately looked towards the raven-haired boy who was in a conversation with Mirajane and Cana. She felt her heart pounding in her chest and wanted to just bolt out of the guild doors and lock herself in her room again. Trying her best not to turn his attention towards her, she shifted in her seat finding the perfect time to leave without anyone realising. She felt something warm on top of her hand, she snapped her neck towards Lucy who was looking at her, concern visible on her face.  
>"You're not going to solve anything by running away." Erza looked away again, knowing she was right. Running away wasn't going to solve anything, but it sure as hell would make her feel better, even if it was for just a little while. She looked back at Lucy to tell her she was right but was instead surprised to see that the same nervous look she had on her own face just a few seconds ago, had found its way on to Lucy's. She felt someone's presence beside her and looked up into his onyx eyes.<br>"Yo Lucy, Erza." He greeted them, giving them each a small nod, a small smile on his lips. Lucy gave him a nod back but felt just as nervous as Erza for some reason. The atmosphere was tense, Erza glared at Gray, watching his every move.  
>"Where's Natsu and Happy?" He asked Lucy, ignoring Erza.<br>"I haven't seen them since yesterday but Mira said they'd gone fishing." She told him. He nodded to show that he heard her but he seemed a little distracted, he finally gave in and looked at Erza.  
>"Erza, are you okay?" He asked her. Erza's expression suddenly turned into confusion with a slight mix of annoyance as she took in what he had just asked her. The fact that he didn't even acknowledge what he had said and done to her yesterday made something inside her snap.<br>"I'm fine." She said brusquely, looking away.  
>"Oh, that reminds me," Gray said to no one in particular, turning his attention towards the barmaid. "Mira, have you seen gramps? I need to tell him something." He asked her nonchalantly. Erza felt her heart beat rising and her stomach turned. She desperately tried not to show any emotions, like what he had just said didn't concern her in any way. She sat with bated breath waiting for the white haired beauty to answer.<br>"No, he went away for a meeting at the council. I don't know when he'll be back, should be a couple days." She answered him, immediately making Erza feel at ease.  
>"If it's important, I can send him a message for you?" She added, and just as quickly as she was relieved she soon found herself on edge again, now waiting for <em>his<em> answer. He thought about this for a few seconds, glancing over at the reequip mage who looked extremely tense.  
>"No, it can wait," he replied. Turning to make his leave, he looked at the red-head. "I'll see you around, Erza."<p>

She didn't say anything, not even daring to move. She heard his footsteps moving further and further away until the doors slammed shut. She felt so many emotions that she didn't even know she had, or where she had been keeping them. She felt the air around her – thick and closing in – suffocating her and she wanted to scream.

"Erza, are you okay?" Lucy asked her, concernedly. Erza hated that question, it hadn't even been two minutes and she'd been asked that twice already.  
>"I'm going for a walk." She replied. She stood up and walked out of the guild not bothering to say bye to anyone. Lucy stayed seated looking puzzled. She didn't know whether to go after her or just give her some space. Deciding to stay put she heard Mirajane calling her over.<br>"What's up, Mira?" Lucy asked, making her way over.  
>"You tell me." Lucy gave her a questioning look, not knowing what she was getting at.<br>Sighing, Mira leaned over the bar so that only Lucy could hear her, "I'm not stupid. I could see that there's something going on between Gray and Erza, now spill."  
>"Really? I never noticed." Lucy replied tentatively.<br>"Lucy, you looked like you were about to pass out from all the tension between them. Now I know it's none of my business but Master left me in charge of the guild whilst he's away, and I don't want to have to deal with their situation once it all blows up." Lucy remained silent, thinking about what she should do and the consequences of each.

_It's only a matter of time before they all find out and I dread to think what Erza would do then. If I tell Mira… maybe she can help or even convince Gray not to tell anyone until this whole thing is sorted. But then again, I already promised Erza I'd keep this to myself. If I tell Mira, am I not doing the same thing as Gray? Damn it! I don't know what to do. I'm sorry Erza._

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><p>Erza wandered around town aimlessly to clear her head. When did her life become like this? She's being torn between the two things she loves and cherishes the most. The guild, it was like her family… no, it <em>is<em> her family. The guild is all she knows, it's all she has left. But then on the other hand, there's Jellal… and she's all _he_ has left. Was she in love with him? That she didn't know, but she can't deny that the feelings she has for him are strong. And then there was Gray. Why was he making this so difficult for her? She had hoped that out of everyone, he would be the one to understand her. All those times they'd spent together, cried together and supported one another and this is how he treats her?

She stopped in her tracks, hearing something in the distance. Voices - but they weren't holding conversations, more like shouting random words, like a command. She ran closer to find the source of all this commotion and she felt her heart stop once she was close enough to find out what it was.  
>"GRAY! STOP!" In a blind fury she ran towards him, her sword firmly gripped in her hand, ready to swing for the ice mage.<br>"Erza, don't!" Jellal grabbed a hold of her arm before she could bring it down any further, her sword just mere inches away from Gray's flesh. Gray didn't even try to stop her, being too stunned to react on time and get away. He stared at her wide-eyed, not daring to move. Erza watched him, her breathing still heavy and mind too muddled to make sense of what just took over her. The fact that she was ready to do something so dreadful, so unthinkable without even giving it a second thought, shocked her to the core. Looking at her trembling hand she took a step back, throwing it to the ground, her legs too weak to support her. Jellal grabbed a hold of her before she hit the ground.

"Erza, are you okay?" He asked her once he could remember how to speak. Erza didn't respond or attempt to stand herself up again. Instead, she just closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.  
>"Erza," Gray spoke, he sounded surprisingly calm considering, or was that hurt she could hear in his voice? She slowly opened her eyes to find him in the same place she had nearly killed him in. "What the hell was that!?" He yelled at her, balling up his fists, clearly outraged by her actions.<br>"I'm sorry." She replied meekly averting her gaze.

"_Was any of this real?" _She thought to herself, hoping this was all just one bad dream she just couldn't break out of.

"If that wasn't proof enough for you to see what he's done to you then I don't know what is."  
>"What I've done? What about <em>you<em>! You just couldn't leave her alone could you?"  
>"Bastard! Don't turn this round on me, if you hadn't come back, none of this would have happened!"<br>"I would never hurt her."  
>"No, you won't. Because I won't let you."<br>"That's enough! Both of you! Just… stop." Erza forced herself back up to face Gray who was stood watching Jellal with detestation. Jellal took a step forward so that he was now stood beside her. The air filled with silence as the two males watched Erza, awaiting a response.

"Jellal, I need to speak to Gray." Was all she said, her eyes fixated on the ice mage. Jellal seemed hesitant to leave her there with him but still complied.  
>"I'll see you around, Erza." He said as he walked off. The two wizards stood in silence once again, their gazes intense.<br>"I hope you've come to your senses now." Gray finally spoke. Erza blinked after what seemed like ages and she felt anger build up inside her again. It would seem it didn't take much for Gray to make her angry lately. Everything he'd said and done so far since they got back from their mission was wrong to Erza. How he could stand there with no intention of giving an apology for what he had done to her made her mad. However, if he really didn't know what state he had put her in since they last spoke then that was even worse in her eyes. How could he claim that he cared about her when he never once accounted for her feelings?  
>"Yes, indeed I have." Erza replied in the calmest tone she could muster at that moment. Gray let out a sigh of relief, glad that this was all going to end. She was going to report Jellal to the council and they would take him back in again and hopefully never let him back out. "I've… come to realise…" Erza continued, speaking slowly and clearly so that Gray could catch every word that came out of her mouth, "who really cares for me and who I can trust. So, thank you Gray, thank you for making me aware." She finished. Gray looked at her curiously, wondering what she meant but didn't put much thought into it. She was finally going to do the right thing and that was all he could hope for.<p>

"I'm glad." A small smile replaced his quizzical look. He stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and inhaled the fresh air around them. "We'll tell master when he gets back, together." He told her, beckoning her to walk with him with a flicker of his eyes. Erza stayed rooted to the spot, desperately trying not to lash out at him again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before responding.

"No." Gray had only taken a few steps forward but stopped when he heard her say that one word. He turned his head to the side slightly, enough to see where she was standing – still in that same spot.  
>"What?" He asked her, sounding surprised. Erza still had her eyes closed but she could feel his eyes on her.<br>"I said, no." She spoke louder and more clearly, ensuring that she sounded confident that her word was final. "I'm not going to tell Master anything, and neither are you." She finished, opening her eyes to find Gray staring at her with a blank expression, she couldn't read him. She waited for him to say something, the silence becoming unbearable. The air around them become colder and her bravado was wearing off. She felt vulnerable and she didn't like it. She didn't like feeling defenceless but even more than that she didn't like feeling that way at this particular moment. It wasn't because she was with Gray, he was the only one she didn't mind showing that side to. It was the fact that it was _because_ of Gray she felt this way that made it so unsettling.

"Erza, I… don't understand. You-"  
>"He needs me. I'm all he has."<br>"He doesn't need you, he's using you-"  
>"I don't expect you to understand, Gray." She continued, cutting him off yet again. "He's changed, I know he has and I won't let anyone touch him. Not the council, not Fairy Tail and especially not you." Gray remained still, trying to put together a response but all her words were morphing into one in his head and he couldn't make sense of it all.<p>

_I thought I finally got through to her. I thought she was going to send him back to where he belongs so why is she stood here defending him? _

"I can't let you do that, Erza." Gray's cold stares left her and looked over towards the direction he was going. "If you won't do it, I will. I won't let you ruin your life. It's for the best you'll see." He walked off not wanting to hear her reaction because he knew it would be nothing but negative.  
>"Where are you going?!" She questioned him, her voice louder than she intended. Gray stopped but only for a second before he replied, "To the guild. I'll tell Mira to send a message to gramps, he's at the council now right? He can alert them right away."<p>

Erza watched his retreating figure, her brain failing to function, to control her body. She felt just like she did the night before, when he left her standing there, calling out his name. She felt weak and helpless. Jellal was going to be taken away from her again and she wasn't even trying to stop it. What was wrong with her? She was surprised to find she wasn't crying, all her tears must have dried out from all her running emotions. Before she even knew what she was doing, her mouth opened and her words left her, calling out to him.  
>"Gray!" The ice mage stopped upon hearing his name and he didn't even know why. He knew what she was going to say to him. He knew she would just try to talk him out of it, threaten him even. But there was something in her voice that made him all ears. "If you do this…" Erza continued. "If you do this I'll-" Erza was so surprised to hear her own voice, it was strong, it was demanding, it was threatening. It was everything she wasn't. She didn't expect Gray to even stop at all.<p>

"You'll what?" Gray asked her, with a tone of annoyance. The red head was still having difficulty in finishing off her sentence and he had run out of patience. Not wanting to delay it any longer he carried on walking.  
>"I'll hate you for the rest of my life." The raven haired man stopped in his tracks. Those words felt so foreign, felt so wrong coming out of her mouth.<p>

"The moment you open your mouth and say those words is the moment you'll cease to exist in my life." Erza finished, her voice was unwavering and there was no doubt or regret in what she had said. Gray felt his heart drop and he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. Her words were piercing. Oh how he wished he could forget them as quickly as he'd heard them.  
>"Erza…"<br>"So, it's up to you now. I don't care anymore."


End file.
